When I first saw the teaser trailer for this, I peed a little. Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors, and his re-tooling of the Batman franchise has been nothing short of amazing. So here's what I thought of the third, and final, installment...
The Dark Knight Rises: (2012) PG-13 (Acton/Crime/Drama)
Starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Overview - Bruce Wayne (Bale) has taken the blame for the death of several policeman, as well as for former District Attorney, Harvey Dent. He has been forced into hiding to uphold the good name of Harvey Dent, and all the good he has done for the city of Gotham. But there is a new evil making it's way into Gotham City. A thug named Bane (Hardy) will force Batman out of hiding to try and save the city from this treacherous foe. Will Bane turn out to be the one villain who can get the best of Batman?
Review - As most of you know, this trilogy started with "Batman Begins" where we see how Bruce Wayne became the much-needed hero we all know as Batman. The next installment was "The Dark Knight" which was the crown jewel of director, Christopher Nolan, in my opinion. A lot of people argue that it only received such high accolades because of the fact that Heath Ledger dropped into a depression, during the filming that cost him his life. Some believe that the tragedy gave the film undue credit. In my opinion, Ledger's performance as The Joker was probably one of the best cast, and perfectly portrayed, characters I have ever seen. "The Dark Knight" will likely be in my top 3 favorite movies forever. So when the final installment of the trilogy was announced I was both excited, and nervous. Let me explain why I was nervous. The best example I can give of this is when my mother went sky diving for her 60th birthday. I know, she's a bad ass and that's how she rolls. But after sky diving, what's next? Bungee jumping won't do it. Para-sailing won't do it. What can top the most exhilarating experience of her life? Besides having me as a son. The same can be said for "The Dark Knight Rises". When you have achieved a perfect movie, how do you follow it up?
Our villain (Bane) is played by Tom Hardy. An unknown character to most of the world. He played the Villain, Shinzon, in "Star Trek: Nemesis" back in 2002, and hasn't really been heard from much until he popped up in "Inception" in 2010. Since then he has lead some great films such as "Warrior" and "Lawless". In "Star Trek: Nemesis" Tom Hardy is scrawny and nerdy. So when I heard he was playing Bane I was very concerned. But as soon as I saw the trailer, I noticed he looked like he ate a small village in preparation for the roll. What really threw me off, however, is that in the preview his voice is portrayed as deep, commanding, and threatening. But in the movie his voice is a higher pitched, and can grate on you a bit. He is commanding, and very threatening, but not because of his voice. Though fairly humorous throughout the film, he definitively strikes fear into the peasants of Gotham. So be prepared for a villain you will find yourself chuckling at, but also fearing.
Anne Hathaway was cast to play Catwoman in this movie. Many believed she was Bane's accomplice, or his love interest. To my happy surprise, she was neither of these things. In the past they have portrayed Catwoman as a leather-wearing, whip-cracking seductress who's aim is getting into your head. When in reality she is simply a thief. A cat burglar. That is how she is portrayed in this film. Simple, but effective. I was really happy when I saw what they did with her character. And for anyone wondering why I haven't commented on Christian Bale's performance as The Batman, what can I say? We have seen what he can do in the previous films. The bloke is pure gold. He does better than anyone could, in this role, and he doesn't disappoint. On to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who seems to be popping up everywhere these days. "Looper", "Inception", "Lincoln". In this movie he plays Blake. A cop who is very dedicated to his job, and wants the same thing his idol, The Batman, wants. Swift justice, and a life free of fear for the people of Gotham City. I am excited about Levitt because I believe he is one of the better actors in Hollywood, and he is only 32. Which means we will be seeing much more from him in the future. I think all the actors in this film, minus Marion Cotillard (she plays Miranda), did a really good job wrapping this trilogy up.
Now, what did I think about the movie in and off itself? Well....As I said, it would be stupid to assume it is better than "The Dark Knight". I enjoyed this movie very much, but I do have to rant a little about some fairly large plot holes. We see Bruce Wayne hiding from the public with a troubled knee that makes it so he can barely walk. But once he decides to become Batman again, he straps on a pneumatic knee brace and he's good as new. Why didn't he do this to begin with? At one point you see someone light a trail of gasoline that runs down the street and up a bridge to illuminate a gigantic bat signal. Which means that instead of rescuing people, he decided to waste a couple hours painting the side of a bridge with gasoline in the shape of a bat. But the film does have it's merits. Christopher Nolan's cinematography has always been amazing. He knows how to tell a story through the lens of the camera. He knows how to hold your attention, and make you forget that Gotham, and Batman, aren't real. In this movie, Nolan worked an angle I was hoping for. We find out that despite all the technology and all the money in the world, Batman still needs help. He turns to the only people he has, and works with them to try and save Gotham City. I thought that this sent a pretty strong message to a world that tells us that you alone are really all that matters. They say do it yourself, you don't need anyone. Even Batman needs help sometimes. We are not indestructible and it's high time we learned how to lean on each other for strength. This story jumps around a bit, regarding the passage of time, Bane's plans for the city, and the inner battle for Bruce Wayne, as well as Catwoman. For those out there who are like me, and crave adventure and action from their tv sets, you will get plenty of it in this movie. The overall story arc is very good, but there is a tie-in to "Batman Begins" that I felt was a bit of a stretch.
Overall I give this one a 4 out of 5. Nolan knows how to tell a story, and make it fun. I love Batman, and I love what they've done with him. Though there are some very noticeable plot holes, I still enjoy popping it in and being whisked away to Gotham City and it's inner struggles.
I want to rant on, or rave about, your favorite movies. Send me a suggestion at entertaindave@gmail.com and follow me on twitter @entertaindave
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